Biography

Not to be mistaken for members of Greenpeace, Kyoto Protocol are a five-piece outfit based in Malaysia who kickstarted a renaissance of Rock & Roll in Malaysia. It was formed by a core of long-time friends who decided to see how far they could go as musicians. Since their humble beginnings playing covers in local bars in 2009, the band reached a turning point when they unexpectedly won 2nd place in the Yamaha Asian Beat Malaysian Finals. It was not long until they got heads turning and ears listening with their no-holds-barred amalgamation of punk, rock and roll when they opened for MGMT’s maiden KL concert.

In 2011, the band released its debut album which was aptly titled “An Album”. This release was a local success as singles “Pussycat” and “Never Know” clinched the number 1 spot on various radio charts on the Malaysian airwaves. The success of “An Album” snowballed when the band was nominated for “Best New Artist” in Anugerah Industri Muzik 2011. This was soon followed by another nominated for “Breakout Award” in the Shout Awards 2012.

They rode this wave to score spots at regional festivals in Malaysia and abroad such as Baybeats in Singapore, BeastieRock in Taiwan, Rockaway and Urbanscapes in Malaysia. This paved the path for them to play a coveted slot at Future Music Festival Asia 2013, where they performed on the same stage as other international acts such as FUN., Bloc Party, The Temper Trap, and PSY. This particular performance prompted favourable reviews from the media that suggested that the band held its own, even on a stage with Grammy nominees and YouTube record-breakers.

The band’s path took a turn in April 2013 when they were selected to be part of Versus, a reality battle of the bands TV show in Malaysia. Alongside the additional exposure from being on national television, Versus marks the first time the guys performed songs in the Malay language.

They have gone pretty far for a bunch of kids who just wanted to play music, but it is absolutely clear that they don’t plan to end their journey just yet.